RIGA, Latvia – The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia (LELB) has a new archbishop. Bishop Rinalds Grants was elected to the position on June 7 during the church’s 30th Synod. He will succeed Archbishop Jānis Vanags, who is retiring.
New Archbishop Leads Latvian Lutherans
Bishop Grants, who was serving as the Auxiliary Bishop of Riga, secured 161 votes. Dean Dzintars Laugalis received 152 votes, with five ballots declining both candidates. The synod convened in Riga from June 6-7.
What is the primary focus of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia’s new archbishop? Bishop Grants’ election marks a significant leadership transition for the church, which serves the spiritual needs of Lutherans in Latvia.
- Bishop Rinalds Grants elected new archbishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia.
- Election occurred at the 30th Synod held June 6-7 in Riga.
- Grants previously served as Auxiliary Bishop of Riga.
- He succeeds Archbishop Jānis Vanags, who is retiring.
Grants brings a solid academic background to his new role. He holds a Bachelor of Law from the Latvian Police Academy and a Master of Theology from the University of Latvia. His pastoral training was completed through Luther Academy, an educational institution affiliated with the LELB. He has been a pastor at St. Gertrude Church in Riga since 2000.
His career within the LELB has seen steady progression. Grants became Vice-Rector of Luther Academy in 2017 and was consecrated as a bishop in 2022. The archbishop role in the Latvian church comes with a retirement age of 70, though retirement can be permitted at 65. Archbishop Vanags is currently 67.
The international Lutheran community has welcomed the news. Rev. Dr. Klaus Detlev Schulz, General Secretary of the International Lutheran Council, offered congratulations. “I offer my congratulations to Bishop Grants on his election as the next archbishop of Latvia, and I look forward to working with him,” Schulz stated. He also extended thanks to Archbishop Vanags for his extensive service.
